Hosiery



Patented Nov. 24, 1942 UNITED` STATES PATENT OFFICE nosmnr mais n.Mendelsohn, ram-mn. NJ.

Application March 27, 1942, Serial No. 436,501

13Claims.

My invention relates to hosiery'and it is an object of the same toprovide an improved toe construction designed more particularly forimproving the appearance, the wearing. qualities and the ventilation ofthe foot of a full-fashioned stocking or sock, though not necessarilylimited to use in full-fashioned hose.

Another object is to provide a row of apertures along the sides of apanel, such as the diamond points that occur at opposite sides of thetoe of a full-fashioned stocking or sock, and to continue theseapertures all the way to the apex of the diamond point,

Another object is to provide such apertures without weakening thefabric, and in such manner that the cross yarns between the saidapertures are-protected against wear or breakage.

Referring to the drawing, which ls made a part of this application andin which similar parts are indicated by similar reference characters:

Figs. 1 and la are diagrammatic iigures showing the stitch constructionat the beginning of the parallel-sided sections of the toe panels of astocking such as illustrated in Fig. 2,

Fig. 2, an elevation of the foot portion of a stocking embodying myimproved construction,

and f Fig. 3, a fragmentary plan of the toe portion of a stocking In thedrawing, reference character I indicates the foot portion of an articleof hosiery having a conventional full-fashioned construc-- tion,including a panel at II, well-known to the trade as a diamond point. InFig. 2 this is shown as having along its sidesy rows I2, I2' ofaperturesthat follow the outline of the panel all the way to the apex at I3.

Mechanism for making the toe construction herein disclosed and claimedis shown in my copending application for patent, Ser. No. 433,048, iiledMarch 2, 1942. Figs. 1 and 1a of this application show details of thestitch structure in greatly enlarged and-somewhat distorted form, as itwould appear in a part of the parallel-sided portion of the panel II.'I'his ilgureincludes stitch structure at and adjacent both rows ofapertures bounding a panel II, and is broken at Il, where the walesforming the middle of the panel are omitted. The upper figure representsthe construction at one side of the panel and the lower represents thatat the other side of the same panel. In the hose shown there are likepanels at each side of the toe, as'indicated in Fig. 3.

Reading in the direction in which knitting proceeds there is shown iirsta plain or Jersey course I5, one or more such courses being commonlyinterposed between narrowing courses in narrowing operations. Thiscourse is followed by a course I6, which has stitches transferredaccording to the method conventionally followed in narrowing the toe ofa full-fashioned stocking with narrow and wide combs, whereby stitchesare transferred over two needle spaces at the outer ends of the course,as at I1, but over only one needle space farther in, as at Il. f

According to the method of operation described in my copendingapplication above identified. certain points are omitted from the combsof the narrowing apparatus, e g., counting from the inner end of each ofthe narrow combs, the second and third points are omitted, whereas Inthe wide combs, only the second point from the inner end is omitted. Asa result of this, the loops I9, 20, 2l and 22, in Fig. 1, and at placesin other courses similarly related to the wide combs, are nottransferred. One result of this is that there are openings in the fabricat those points to which stitches I9 and 2l would have been transferredhad the combs retained their full complements of points. Another resultis that a ridge is formed along the outer side of the row of aperturesso formed due to the piling up of the crowns of knitted loops. Finally,a second or inner ridge is formed at the inner side of said rw becauseof the double stitches occurring at the points at which stitches 2l and22' were not transferred. In the completed article the transverse partsof the yarns between the apertures appear as cross bars twisted aboutone another and extending substantially at right angles across the rowof holes. The ridges at the opposite sides of such a row serve toprotect these cross bars, which would otherwise be liable to wear outvery quickly due to their exposed position. 'I'he construction justdescribed forms the row of holes I2' in Fig. 2. The course I6 isfollowed by a course I5 of plain b stitches, such as commonlyinterpolated between transfer courses in narrowing, yand this courseisgsimlar to course I except that the legs of some of its stitches arenot conilned by the crown of a preceding stitch in the Wale.

The section of the knitting immediately to the right of the left borderportion in Fig. l, just described, forms the panel II and has beennarrowed in the ligure by omission of a number of wales 'as a matter ofconvenience. At the right 55 of that portion there are indicated pairsof stitches 23 23. which are not transferred because of absence of twopoints in a narrow comb. .As a result of failure to transfer the rightside one of each pair of stitches 23, apertures are formed that providethe row I2 in Fig. 2. By reason of failure to transfer the left one ofeach of said pairs a ridge is formed at the left of the two in Fig. 1(or below the row l2 in Fig. 2). But since the comb retains its firstpoint, stitches 24, 24 are superposed on the same needle with thestitches normally there, and are knitted oil. therewith, so forming aridge at the right of the last-described row of apertures in Fig. 1, thetwo ridges protecting the cross threads of the apertures/as abovedescribed.

In Fig. 1a (at the concealed side of the stocking of Fig. 2) theapertures at 25 and 26 are, or may be, formed in the same manner as justdescribed for the upper half of said gure, the relative position ofparts occurring, of course, in reverse order, so that two-Wale wideningis at the right f Fig. 1a, etc.

As set forth in my application above referred to, the series ofapertures continues uniformly to the apex of the panel except that justbeyond the angle in the upper row I2' there is one aperture missing at21, but its absence can only be determined upon close inspection.

The fabric in 'the tapered portion of the panel near the apex will besimilar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 1a, except that now the wide combmoves inward two spaces at each narrowing operation, instead of twosteps forward and one step back, thus changing the angle of the row I2of apertures as shown at that part of the row next the toe end of thestocking.

Since the panel Il consists entirely of closely knitted stitches, and isconnected to the closely knitted adjacent foot portions by threadsextending across the space between the panel and the adjacent footportions, the panel is so connected to the remainder of the stocking asto be able to float or to move relatively to the rest of the stocking soas to accommodate itself to the foot of the wearer to an extentdetermined by the length of the free cross portions of the crossthreads, and somewhat also by the nature of the threads and by otherfactors.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes ormodifications may be made in my invention without departing from thespirit thereof, and therefore I do not limit myself to what is shown inthe drawing and described in the specification but only as indicated inthe appended claims. l

Having thus fully described my invention, wha I claim is:

1. A full fashioned Stocking having a toe portion including a diamondpoint gusset or panel of conventional shape and consisting of closelyknitted stitches, said panel being tapered at its forward end, and a rowof openings outside the panel, said openings extending along each sideof the panel and along the tapered portion thereof. i

2. A stocking as in claim 1, said openings being formed by transferringall but selected stitches at the outer' ends of narrowing courses in thetoe portion.

3. A full fashioned stocking knitted from top to toe, said stockinghaving a toe portionincluding a diamond point gusset or panel ofconventional dimensions and consisting of closely knitted stitches. anda row of openings at each side of said panel, said openings beingoutside the panel and being formed by transferring all but selectedstitches in course portions transferred during the narrowing of thetoes.

4. A stocking having a toe portion including a diamond toe area or panelof conventional dimensions and made up of closely knitted stitches,there being at each side of said panel a row of openings beyond saidarea and a ridge at each side of each of said rows of openings.

5. A stocking as irl claim 4, said openings and said ridges being formedby transferring all but selected stitches at opposite sides of the rowof openings.

6. A full-fashioned stocking having a diamond point at each side of thetoe and having a row of apertures along each lateral side of the point,said rows converging at the forward end of the diamond point.

'7. A full-fashioned stocking as in claim 6, said stocking having aridge at each side of each row of apertures.

8. A full-fashioned stocking having at each side of the toe a closelyknitted diamond point, and having at each lateral side thereof outsidethe diamond point a rowy of apertures formed by transferring all butselected stitches in the transferred parts of narrowing courses.

9. A stocking as in claim 8, said stocking having a ridge at each sideof each row of apertures.

10, A full fashioned stocking knitted from top to toe, said stockinghaving at each side of the toe portion a conventional diamond point areaconsisting of closely knitted stitches, and a row of openings outsidethe diamond point area alon each side of said area, said openingsbeingformed by transferring all but selected stitches of course portionstransferred in the toe narrowing operation.

l1. A full fashioned stocking knitted from top to toe, said stockinghaving at each side of the toe portion a conventional diamond'point areaconsisting of closely knitted stitches, and a row of openings outsidethe diamond point area along each side of said area and continuous tothe end of the diamond point, said openings being formed by transferringall but selected stitches of course portions transferred in the toenarrowing operation.

12. A stocking having a toe portion the body of which consists ofclosely knitted stitches, said toe portion including a floating panel ateach side of the foot, there being a continuous series of openings atthe top and bottom of each of said panels, said openings being formed bytransferring all but selected stitches of course p0rtions transferred innarrowing the toe and the panel being connected to' the body of the toeby cross threads between said openings.

13. A stocking having at each side of the foot in the toe portionthereof a diamond shaped area of closely knitted stitches, a continuousline of open work parallel to each said area at the top and bottomthereof and adjacent thereto but outside said area, said lines ofopenwork making the said area into a section capable of shiftingposition to adapt itself to the outer contour of the foot of the wearer.

LOUIS H. MENDELSOHN.

